The Patriots are familiar with wide receiver Josh Gordon, whom they acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns Monday, as he had one of his best games as a pro against them in 2013.
The Patriots 27-26 win over the Browns on Dec. 8, 2013, might be best remembered for Rob Gronkowski’s season-ending injury after Cleveland safety T.J. Ward went low on the tight end and blew out Gronk’s knee.
But the game also featured a spectacular performance by Gordon, who hauled in seven catches for 151 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown. The effort prompted Ben Volin to write “Josh Gordon showed again why he might be the best young receiver in the game when he took a quick slant and outraced Aqib Talib 80 yards for a touchdown.”
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Talib was quick to offer praise after battling with Gordon for the entire game.
“He’s a hell of a player,” Talib said. “He’s young, he’s going to make some noise in this league. Man, he’s pretty good.”
Gordon entered the game with 498 receiving yards the previous two games, 623 yards the previous three; both NFL records. With his 151 yards against the Patriots, Gordon’s 774 receiving yards were the most ever in a four-game stretch.
Here are some of his career highlights:
■ He hauled in the game-tying touchdown against the Steelers last week
■ He played for the first time in three years against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13 last season and didn’t miss a beat.
■ Heading into the Patriots game in 2013, he had back-to-back 200-yard receiving games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Follow Andrew Mahoney on Twitter @GlobeMahoney